The purpose of the Prize for Undergraduate Library Research is to recognize academic excellence in student research utilizing library resources and information literacy practices.
To be eligible to win, applicants must:
Completed applications will include the following:
Completed application packages must be submitted online via this form by 11:59 PM on Monday, April 19, 2021. [*Note that the reflective essay and paper can be submitted as part of the same Word document. See the examples of past prize winners, below.]
A panel composed of University of Northwestern – St. Paul faculty and librarians will judge entries on the evidence of the applicant’s research strategy and personal learning as evinced in the paper and bibliography, and summarized in a reflective essay.
Submissions will be evaluated based on how well they demonstrate the following:
An award of $300 will be given to the submitted paper that best exemplifies the selection criteria.
Contact Jessica Nelson Moore (jmmoore@unwsp.edu) or Greg Rosauer (gjrosauer@unwsp.edu) with questions or concerns.
The reflective essay is the centerpiece of an application for this prize. It unites the research paper, resources, and intellectual and creative efforts that brought your work to fruition. The essay allows you to explain your engagement with and passion for your subject and your material.
The reflective essay is the narrative that gives life to your scholarly process.
"'I Will Not Be Ungit': Exploring the Process of Santicification in C.S. Lewis' Til We Have Faces"
- Senior Capstone -
"Language Processing in the Bilingual Brain and its Applications for Teaching a Second Language"
- Honors ComponentTheory of Second Language Acquisition -
"Tracing Ideas of Musical Theology: Bach to Luther"
- Music History I -
One of the reviewers said of Baum's entry, "The work draws on an appropriate range of resources and carefully evaluates these works. The writing is clear, thoughtful, and convincing." Another reviewer noted that Baum's paper was innovative, "exploring less-obvious connections between theology, history, and music."
"The Dragon's Phoenix: Epochs of Confucianism in Chinese Government Philosophy"
- History Seminar -
One of the faculty reviewers wrote, “This student describes an ambitious research project which led him to explore an off-campus research center in addition to the range of resources available via Northwestern. The paper draft is clear and well-written; he clearly introduces his topic and provides evidence for his thesis.” Another reviewer described the paper as “superior in its gathering, synthesizing, and integrating of sources.”
"Just Intelligence: Normative Limits of Foreign Signals Intelligence"
- Senior Capstone -
One of the reviewers wrote, "I appreciate this essay's complexity, its sophistication - it connects unexpected (or, at least, non-obvious) sources, and it adds an ethical dimension and depth that's often neglected in broader coverage of this topic." Another reviewer wrote, "This is a very comprehensive senior thesis that synthesized large amounts of research material. Also, the reflective essay was very specific in search strategies and goals."
- Literature Senior Capstone -
One of the reviewers said of her paper, “This is an outstanding paper and deserves high praise.”